(x) Irregular Magic

chapter 27 - few good men

"You should thank us, you know," Luciel said, his arms loosely crossed behind his head. "You gave Krauss a scar on his face. That's his most cherished possessions."

Hamel was shoveling plain porridge into his mouth when Luciel had decided to take the seat next to him. He dropped the spoon into the bowl, feeling a little smug when bits of the porridge flew and speckled Luciel's shirt. "Don't bother me with pointless stuff when I'm eating, kid. I have enough of a headache as it is."

Luciel rubbed at his shirt with his sleeve and continued, "You really don't get it, do you? You attacked a guild member."

It took all of Hamel's self-control to pick up his spoon again and shove food into his mouth. "He attacked me first," he mumbled between mouthfuls.

"You're not the one who went to Nana screaming," said Luciel, frustration pouring into his voice.

"Screaming?" Hamel repeated, holding his spoon loosely between his fingers. "I hope Nana set him straight."

"You better buy Nana something nice, too," warned Luciel. "Otherwise you have a potential witness to testify against you."

Hamel rolled his eyes so hard they nearly popped out of his sockets. "I gave him a scratch. This ain't court. No one's testifying against nobody." That was what he said, but Hamel made a mental note to bring a nice bottle of gin to the in-house physicker. Even though he had just taught the new Centaur a lesson, it wouldn't be amiss to bribe her.

"Hamel, I'm being serious. You might have gotten away with that with Master Amill, but Thanahim—"

Without realizing it, Hamel's hand jerked and he stood up with a start. They both looked down at the burn marks on the table. A puddle of molten metal solidified before their eyes. Beside him, Luciel was making sounds of distress resembling a bleating lamb.

"Shut it, Luc," Hamel snapped, uncurling his fist as slowly as he could manage. Despite his care, every slight movement sent shocks of pain shooting through his hand and up his arm. His palms were streaked with black scorch marks, edged by the beginnings of blisters. "Looks like I'll make the trip to Nana after all."

Unfortunately for him, Nana lived on the second floor, and by the time he had made it to her rooms, his hand was just a fiery haze of agony.

She looked up when he knocked with his free hand, her bored expression giving way to interest. "That looks fun," Nana noted, lowering her glasses.

"Brought you a present," he managed.

"Take a seat," she told him, and she disappeared into the back.

Hamel wasn't one to take orders without some quip, but it was getting hard to think. The physicker returned with a box of emergency medical supplies. The metal box was set down with a clink, and she retrieved an antiseptic spray.

"Going old-school, are we?" he asked, eyeing the spray warily. Sprays like the one Nana was holding were used in emergency situations, when there was nothing else available. Havendom might not be as flush with cash as it had once been, but they weren't struggling so much that they had resorted to magic-less medicine. "Just use the regular stuff."

Nana gave a low sinister chuckle. "But then you wouldn't learn your lesson. Pain is gain. Etcetera."

"God, you never change." The profanities Hamel had been holding back burst forth from his mouth as soon as she applied the spray.

"You know," said Nana, "I had another visitor yesterday. His injuries were also inflicted by magic—and his own doing."

"I heard he screamed."